The Impact of Fitness on Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is tragically all too common in our lives. Whether you are white, Hispanic, Native American or black, many of us are all too familiar with its tragic results. We know the sting of the sudden loss of a loved one due to early heart disease, the shock from the visible loss of kidney function of some of our productive co-workers. We are often caught off guard by its diagnosis, but if we understand that South Carolina ranks 4th in the nation for diabetes prevalence overall and 2nd for African Americans, it is pretty apparent that Diabetes impacts Americans and especially South Carolinians in a hugely negative way.

Developing and maintaining a level of fitness can combat Diabetes mellitus and many of its negative effects. Diabetes is a disease that disrupts the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates and fats properly. Fitness increases and improves metabolism. It helps you get rid of excess weight that may “put you over the top” in the development of diabetes in the first place. For those who already have diabetes, regular fitness activities are essential for the high level of diabetic control a person needs to avoid the dreadful complications for which diabetes is known.

Attaining fitness involves, exercise, commitment, burning calories, personal discipline, self control and of course, sweat. When we were children, all fitness involved was getting outside and playing as hard as you could before being called back into the house before dark. Today, children sit in front of the computer or TV. Instead they need to be encouraged to go outside and play, run and sweat. Then, fitness for them will not be something they will need to try to achieve, it will be as natural to them as breathing.

Dr. Peggy Dingle
Internal Medicine